14 March 2012

When John
Basarin's father, a Turkish army officer took him to Gallipoli as a 10 year
old, little did he realise it would be the start of a lifetime interest in the
battles that occurred there, nor the path to a PhD at Deakin University in
Melbourne, Australia, in his very mature age.

Mr Basarin
will be conferred with his PhD on Thursday, March 29 at the Deakin Warrnambool
Graduation ceremony, allowing him plenty of time to travel to the Gallipoli
Peninsula again, as he has done for many years, in time for Anzac Day on April
25.

"When I
went to Gallipoli as a boy it was just fields, hills and the blue Aegean
sea," Mr Basarin said.

"We
also came across a shepherd and a couple of hundred sheep.

"My
father said to me 'son this is where Turkey was born' pointing to the hills of
Gallipoli.

"Little
did I know on the other side of the world, in what was to become my adopted
country, Australian people also felt the same way."

Mr Basarin
migrated to Australia in 1973 and worked as a chemical engineer for many years.

Mr Basarin
explained that the Turkish victory at Gallipoli allowed the commander of the
troops opposing ANZACs, Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), to prove his military genius
and build his credibility.

This in turn
brought him the leadership and a platform for the national liberation movement
which culminated in defeating all the invading enemies and creating what is now
the Republic of Turkey in 1923.

"The
Gallipoli Peninsula and Anzac Cove is far away from Australia, it is a desolate
place, yet people go there and it's cold, they wait there all night long for
the dawn ceremony and then they leave," Mr Basarin said.

"An
unlikely phenomenon not repeated elsewhere for Australians.

"There
is no marketing, yet despite the time, money and effort required to attend,
thousands of people go there and they are there to observe the dawn ceremony at
Anzac Cove and the Australian ceremony at Lone Pine.

"Its
popularity is such that more than 50,000 Australians are expected to attend the
Anzac Day ceremonies on the centenary in 2015."

Mr Basarin's
PhD- Battlefield Tourism: Anzac Day Commemorations at Gallipoli", examined
the factors which make the visit to the battlefield site so satisfying for
Australians and how this translates into their strong recommendation of the
visit to others.

With his supervisor
Prof. John Hall, Mr Basarin has published a dozen papers in academic journals,
based on the results of his doctorate thesis.

One of the
important findings was the significance of word of mouth recommendation.

"Almost
everyone who was surveyed had known someone who had visited Gallipoli and had
told them what an experience it was, an experience of a lifetime, to remember
and share, an experience that helped put Australia's past in perspective and
helped provide an understanding of what the young soldiers had faced in 1915
and how this had shaped what Australia has become in the 21st century almost
one hundred years later," Mr Basarin said.

Mr Basarin
said surprisingly, sadness was a key emotion for those attending and influenced
whether they found the trip satisfying or not.

"Those
attending expressed sorrow for the loss of thousands of young lives, the place,
and the sadness of the ceremony," he said.

"It was
important to them to be able to feel sad on this solemn occasion, and they
don't want it tarnished by having Bee Gees playing or whatever."

Mr Basarin
said interestingly the people attending weren't at all backpackers and young
people, most were over 25 years of age and professionals or para professionals.

Some were
third generation migrants to Australia and saw their participation at the Anzac
ceremony as part of being Australian.

"This
was their first experience of battlefield tourism and they weren't planning to
go back to another Anzac Day or Gallipoli," he said.

"They
wanted to keep it just as it was a 'once in a lifetime experience'.

"Other
battlefields don't have such an emotional attachment for them."

Mr Basarin
said although no official marketing was done for the ceremony most people had
been influenced by participating in activities at school or by seeing the Anzac
Day ceremonies and parades on TV.

"They
didn't know what to expect, but they knew the dawn ceremony was an important
event and they knew Gallipoli was the birthplace of Australia," he said.

"They
also didn't know that Turkey sacrificed 10 times as many men as Australia nor
that Australia lost the battle.

"The
personal and the emotional experiences were so intense it threw them off.

"That's
what made it so satisfying."

Mr Basarin
said the Anzac Day ceremony injected between $60- $80 million into the local
Turkish economy.

Mr Basarin's
findings and the framework he has developed to ensure satisfaction is
maintained with the ceremonies will come in handy when he starts work on his
next job, taking 1000 Australians to Gallipoli in 2015.

"I've
usually only ever taken 10 to 15 people before, so logistically it will be
challenging, but my PhD has given me an umbrella view of the whole event as
well as allowing me to look at things in depth and in an unbiased way," he
said.

Mr Basarin
has co-authored a number of books since 1985, including "A Turkish View of
Gallipoli", "Gallipoli – Turkish Story" and "Beneath the
Dardanelles" .

He was
awarded the ANZAC Peace Prize in 2010 by the RSL in recognition of his work in
promoting international understanding of the Gallipoli campaign.

In 2005, he
received Victorian Premier's Award for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs for
his long-time work on presenting the Turkish side of the tragic campaign at
Gallipoli.

Further
information

Listen to Dr
Basarin being interviewed on ABC Radio National's Life Matters on ANZAC Day.